A Study Of The Modern Huizhou Merchants Focuses On 1830～1949

This thesis focuses on the modern Huizhou merchants that have been neglected for a long time. It discusses the prosperity and declines of the modern Huizhou merchants, perspective their modern transformation, analyzes their function in the Chinese modernizing process, and inquires into its experience and lesson by using the analytical method of history, Huixue, regional history analysis and social transformation theory. The full text divides into the three parts as introduction, the main text (altogether eight chapters) and the conclusion.The introduction reviews the learning history of Huizhou merchants, summary the main academic question analyses the academic style and discuss some theoretical problems. After fully approving, it discusses the weakness of the current research of Huizhou merchants, especially the lack of study of the modern Huizhou merchants, and this is the reason why this thesis takes the modern Huizhou merchants as the object of study.Chapterâ… focuses on the modern Huizhou merchants' historical background which including the decline of the salt merchants, the disaster of civil war and the foreign threaten. The modern Huizhou merchants faced a cruel environment.Chapterâ…¡discuses the point of view that the modern Huizhou merchants were disintegrated. In modern time, more and more Huizhou people engaged in trade. The business population was very high and built a huge commercial network. It is a undeniable fact that the modern Huizhou merchants still existed and played an important role in the economy.Chapterâ…¢analyses the tea trade which was the most important department of the modern Huizhou commerce. After the civil war, the Huizhou tea trade recovered very soon, and developer in a high speed between 1865 and 1916. In the later stage of Republic of China, the Huizhou tea trade declined by the war and the depression of the foreign market. The tea trade promoted the development of modern Huizhou economy, brought job to the farmer and made a new commercial center. The tea trade was led by export, and the tea merchants participate in the international competition. This character not only accelerates the development of tea trade, but also led the financial capital controlled the tea trade when it became declined.Chapterâ…£discuses the other traditional departments of modern Huizhou commerce. The modern Huizhou merchants still had big influence in the trade of salt, tree and pawnshop. Some merchants even built very strong organizations.Chapterâ…¤analyses the transformation of the modern Huizhou merchants. The birth of the Huizhou comprador was the symbol the transformation of the modern Huizhou merchants. The Huizhou compradors played an important role in China's international trade and made great contribution for the Chinese modernization. Some Huizhou merchants invested in the new industry and made important achievement. It is a wrong point of view that modern Huizhou merchants were behind the times.Chapterâ…¥expounds the position of Huizhou merchants in the process of modern Huizhou social change. The modern Huizhou merchants took the place of gentries as the backbones in the Huizhou society. In the last stage of Qing dynasty, Huizhou merchants were very active in the process of political and economical reform. In the modern times, the progress of education and the social service system in Huizhou highly depended on the merchants. Even the transformation of the social custom should be owed to the merchants. The merchants are the locomotive of the transformation of the modern Huizhou society.Chapterâ…¦investigates the network of Huizhou merchants of Shanghai. After the decline of Yangzhou, Shanghai became the center of modern Huizhou merchants. The guilds are the center of the network of Huizhou merchants. The guilds played very important role in strengthening the group consciousness and maintaining long term management by worshiping divinity, promoting human relationship and donating the public welfare.Chapterâ…§focuses on the Xiaojiang family in Jiangwang, Wuyuang. The Xiaojiang family had many merchants in modern times, and can be discuses as a representative of the modern Huizhou merchants.The conclusion sums up the main point of this thesis.